Triggers
by InnerInstinct
Summary: Danny went missing, yet can't remember any of the time he was gone. Is Vlad behind it or is he here to help? And there's something terribly off about the whole thing... Rated for blood, violence, and character death.
1. Chapter 1: Mondays Suck

**Triggers**

**Yeah! My very first chapter story! I've been waiting a long time for this. Anyways, I haven't planned the ending yet, so I hope this ends well. There will be some violent scenes later on, but I'll put a warning at the top just in case, so no need to worry. You can tell me if you think that I should change the rating. **

**Summary:**  
**Danny went missing, yet can't remember any of the time he was gone. Is Vlad behind it or is he here to help? And there's something terribly off about the whole thing... Rated for blood violence, and character death. **

**I don't own Danny phantom. **

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**Chapter 1: Mondays Suck**

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Danny Fenton felt himself being slowly pulled towards consciousness. The only thing his fuzzy mind could he could register was that there was a harsh light coming down on his eyes. He dug the palms of his hands into his eyes in an attempt to block out the light. He was exhausted still and he wished he could just go back to sleep, but the light was relentless. (It was only later that Danny realized that this should have been his first clue.) He kept his eyes shielded as he blinked them open.

He gasped and jumped to his feet. His brain immediately went from zero to sixty, clearing away the last strands of fatigue. He tried to figure out just what in the world was going on. His senses screamed warnings making him tense up into a fighting stance. _Who's there? Where am I? When-_

_...Oh. _

It was only his room. Danny allowed himself to relax his posture, but his senses were amped from the amount of adrenaline pumping in his veins. He gave a shaky exhale and sat back down on his bed, running his fingers through his sweaty hair. It wasn't uncommon for him to wake up in battle mode. Usually, it happened whenever he had a particularly rough night ghost fighting, especially if it involved someone being in danger. _Especially _especially if it was someone he knew. Such nights would be followed by a restless sleep or nightmare. When morning came, he would be disorientated for a short period of time, until he realized that he was okay, that everyone was okay. He guessed it was just one of those things that come with the whole 'hero' gig.

He stretched out his limbs, yawning as the fatigue settled back in. Must have stayed up late again. The bed was still made, probably because he just passed out on top of the bed instead of crawling inside it. He flopped down on top of the pillows, piecing together what he remembered before going to bed. He had been walking home with Sam and Tuck... from the Nasty Burger...Then a ghost came... Which ghost was it, again? It was difficult to recall. He felt stupid for not being able to remember. Although, now that he thought about it, he did have a ton of enemies.

Well, he could think some more later. Right now, it was only- he glanced at the clock that sat beside his bed- 10:28 a.m. on Monday, and he just wanted to-

He could've sworn he felt his heart stop for a moment. _No, no, no..._

He lept up and ran to the bathroom, skipping the shower entirely. He finished cleaning up (thankful that he forgot to change into his pajamas) in record time. He was late! He was so, so, _so _late for school. He overslept... again! The last time that happened, his parents were close to breaking out the ghost weapons on him... Not that they knew he was half of their hate anyways. Oh man, didn't he have a test in Lancer's today? There was no time to think, no time to waste. He snatched up his backpack and phased out the door. Everyone should've been out of the house by now, so his secret was safe for now.

If it wasn't for his super senses, he would've missed the hushed voices that were carried up stairs. He came to a stop right at the top of the stairwell, listening carefully. Why would anyone be at the house still? Jazz had school, Mom and Dad were, well, hunting ghosts or inventing some new painful weapon for hunting ghosts... Who else could be here right now? His ghost sense didn't go off either. It didn't make sense. Unless... somebody was robbing the his house, or something. So far, he could hear two, maybe three voices whispering. He focused on his sense of hearing, hoping he could pick out words or someone's tone of voice.

"Already tried..."

"What if..."

"...going to my car..."

"...hurry..."

There was the sound of the door being quietly opened and closed. Danny tensed up again. What were they doing? Maybe he _was_ being robbed. Maybe waking up late wasn't so bad after all, if that was the case. He wasn't entirely sure. Only one way to find out. He took a deep breath. It wasn't like they were ghosts. Then he would have been in trouble. _No need to get all worked up Fenton, let's just get this over with..._

It was dead silent as he crept down the stairs. Any noise at all would be heard a thousand times louder. He controlled his breaths through his mouth to make sure he would be completely silent. Being half dead did have it's perks, like being able to walk around without making a sound. He used this to his advantage, as well as invisibility. He continued to tiptoe down the stairs until he was able to see most of the floor. He readied himself for the worst and crouched down scanning the area.

He sighed in relief. Mom and Dad were looking at maps down on the coffee table in the living room. He was used to seeing them use maps to mark and record the locations of ghost sightings and find natural ghost portals the pop up. Sometimes, they could find patterns between the portals and sightings, which would help them go out on hunts. From the stairs, he could see lots of notes written on the maps, and 'X' marks in various places. Pens and markers were scattered around, as well as other things like scissors. It wasn't like their usual maps that were used to find ghosts and portals. Normally, they were much more neat with their work, being scientists, so seeing them so disorganized was strange. They were in such deep concentration, they didn't notice Danny drop invisibility and walked down the rest of the way. He was too curious to remember that he was hours late for school. But hey, what could he say? Curiosity half killed him and he still didn't learn his lesson.

"Mom? Dad? What are you doing?" he asked, his voice slightly scratchy.

He saw them visible tense, their heads snapping up, staring at him. It startled him, and if he hadn't just checked, Danny would've thought for sure he was Phantom right now. So he just blinked and looked at him, wondering why he felt like he was being dissected by with their eyes. Their faces were haunted, dark circles marking the nights they didn't sleep. Dad's face was unshaven and Mom wasn't wearing her usual make-up. For a long moment, there was nothing but a terrible silence. The tension in the air was too thick to breathe or move in. Danny thought he would scream until Dad finally spoke up.

"D-Danny...?" he whispered. Now Danny was _really _confused. Who else would he be? Again, he checked himself to make sure he was still Fenton. Yup. He tilted his head slightly, and was just about to speak when the door opened. Guess who came in?

"Sorry it took me a while, I... accidently..." Vlad's voice trailed off when he looked away from the papers in his hand. He found Danny standing at the bottom of the stairs and his jaw dropped slightly. _Oh no, please, no more staring contests... it's creepy and unnerving. _Seriously, what was _wrong _with everyone today!? This time, Danny spoke first.

"Alright, alright, I get it. I'm sorry. I woke up late today, so I'd appreciate if you would just let me go and save the ... gawking for later." He spoke hurriedly, remembering that he really needed to take that test today. He took about two steps towards the door (which Vlad left open conveniently... speaking of which, why was he here?) before getting pulled into a fierce hug.

"Oh Danny! My sweet baby." To his horror, Mom was crying and stroking his hair. The only thing he could do was stay there, dumbstruck. Dad came up silently, crushing all of them in a hug that was sure to leave a bruise. Danny wasn't sure, but he thought Dad was crying, too.

_What?_

"Jack, g-go call Jazz. Tell her to come home now." Mom ordered in a shaky voice, before embracing him again whispering her gratitude in his ears. Dad moved off towards the land line and called up Jazz, but his words were lost to Danny. He was just so... shocked. Nothing made any sense.

_What... what..._

_"_What?" he said unintentionally. Mom was smiling through her tears as he pulled her son onto the couch. He allowed himself to be pulled around, to numb to react to anything.

"Oh baby," Mom pecked him on the cheek, something he would have been completely disgusted by in any other circumstance. She pulled away and added, "you're not hurt, are you?"

"Um...no," he answered, finding his voice. "Am I supposed to be?" Mom laughed, thinking it was a joke. Dad came back in smiling, yet there was a cold look in his eyes.

"I swear on all of the fudge in the world, I will rip apart the slimy ghost that did this – molecule by molecule!" Dad proclaimed.

"The ghost that did what?" Danny was burning with curiosity. His parents looked at him funny.

"Sweetie, why don't we wait until, your sister gets here, and then you can tell us everything." Mom suggested in a way that made him look like _he _was tryingto hide something. But he nodded his head in agreement anyways. He would get answers when Jazz was home.

They all waited in a lengthy silence for about minutes, although it felt like an eternity. This had to be the most awkward moments of his half-life. No one said a word. The only sounds were the occasional sniffle or cough. Everyone looked at no one in particular. And Vlad...why was he _still_ here? He hadn't spoken a word to him. Danny sent the this-is-all-your-fault-isn't-it glares his way regularly. It was a fact of life; bad events=Vlad screwing with you. Though, there was a slim chance he wasn't by the way he was looking at Danny. He didn't exactly know what it was. Annoyance? Perplexion? He even dared to say... worry. The calm and collected Vlad Masters experiencing worry for something other than himself. Not something you see everyday. Then again, he was a very good actor. Hmph. Back to glaring.

Just when Danny though he couldn't take it anymore, Jazz came running through the door.

"Danny!" she cried, engulfing him in a hug. _Here we go again... _He awkwardly patted her on the back, allowing her to get all her tears out. "I kept thinking the worst and...and..."

"I'm alright, Jazz. " her brother assured her. "I'm fine." But he could head the slight trembling in his own voice. He was seriously freaked out by everything. Everyone was so emotional... what was going on? Jazz sat down next to him while everyone else chose seats that faced him.

"Alright, son. Talk to us. Go on. " Dad prompted with a wave of his hand. Danny was beginning to get irritated. What were they expecting him to say? A confession of some sort?

"I, um...Sorry that I woke up late... On the day of a test..." His parents shared a laugh. He sighed. He couldn't understand what they wanted. Jazz looked at him and winked. Then she turned to their parents.

"Mom, Dad, why don't you let me handle this. " She stood up with Danny following her like lost puppy. Vlad stood up too. Oh yeah, real subtle. Half way up the stairs she made a point to turn to Vlad and add icily, "_Alone. _" Vlad's eyes rolled at the hostile word but sat down regardless.

The siblings headed straight to Danny's room and sat down facing each other on the bed. Jazz put a hand on his shoulder. She didn't fail to notice that he flinched slightly involuntarily.

"No one's here, you can talk to me now." She assured.

"Unless Vlad is sniffing around," he replied, giving a slight grin. She chuckled, but was determined not to be distracted. She continued to wait for him to answer seriously. Danny blew his messy bangs out of his eyes. There was a moment of pause before Jazz saw she would have to talk first.

"Look, I can understand if you don't want talk around Vlad or even Mom and Dad, but you don't have to do this to me. I'm your sister, there's no need to keep me out of anything. " She huffed in agitation.

"What would I keep you out of? You, all of you are hiding something from _me_. I'm late for school, I come down stairs, see that Mom, Dad, and _Vlad_ are plotting something, and then everyone's all teary and emotional! Tell what's going on." Danny demanded.

Jazz went quiet. She pulled back, visibly shocked. She studied him for a moment or two, probably psycho-analyzing him, before worry began to etch itself into her face. Her next words were very carefully said, as if he were a fragile child.

"Danny, do you know what day it is?" She asked.

"...Monday. Why? What does this have to do with anything?" Danny was only further confused. He wanted answers! Apparently he had answered Jazz wrong. She decided to switch tactics and ask Danny more directly.

"What do you remember? Before you woke up this morning, I mean." Her questions began to disturb Danny, but he answered nonetheless.

"I was walking home from the Nasty Burger with my friends and... I fought a ghost..." He started hitting a mental block. He rubbed his forehead. "What's your point?"

"That was on Saturday... " She agreed in a hushed voice. It took a moment for Danny to process that. Today was Monday, he remembered up until Saturday...

"What happened?" He asked fearfully. He had to know. He was missing something that happened between then and now, and he needed to find out.

"Oh Danny, " her voice broke and she began to cry again. "You were missing..."

Danny pulled her into his arms. "Hey, it's okay. I'm here now. No need to cry. " He tried to comfort her with his words, but to no avail. He himself was creeped out by the fact he couldn't remember. Then he realized something. "Why did you get everyone else involved? You know I can handle myself for a day. I'm alright. " She was usually good with covering for me when I was gone.

Jazz suddenly pulled away. "You're alright? You are most definitely _not _alright!" Danny was startled by her raised voice. His mouth opened and closed wordlessly. She continued to panic as she said, "How can you be alright? How could I _not _involve everyone? You... You don't even remember a thing!" Danny's blood ran ice cold with her next words.

"_You were missing for three months!"_

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**The journey begins...**

**Why can't he remember? **_**What **_**can't he remember? What will happen now? Why is Vlad a stalker?**

**Tell me what you think so far, and if I should keep going. **

**This was done in only a few days so there might be mistakes – just tell me and I will fix it. It starts off a bit slow, but give it a chance, picks up later.**

**See you next update!**


	2. Chapter 2: Going Downhill

**So you've made it to the second chapter... **

**Thanks to all of those who reviewed, favorited, and/or followed this story! I really appreciate your support and encouragement!**

**Not much else to say. Don't expect me to update regularly, because my schedule is kind of crazy. But I'm working on this thing all the time, so I do my best to give updates ASAP. **

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

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**Chapter 2: Going Downhill**

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Danny sat on his bed, picking at the burger on his lap. He wasn't hungry, but no one really listened to him. Not that he blamed them. A lot had happened, and his family was still in a state of shock. Including him.

He was still thinking. You'd think that after pacing all night, he would have gotten tired of thinking. But he just couldn't help it. He was seriously freaked out. It was like waking up and finding out the world turned upside down. Nothing made sense anymore. He groaned and rubbed his temples. _Gee, don't give yourself a migraine, Fenton._

There was a knock on the door. Danny jolted at the sudden sound, then called out, "Come in," as he set down his food on the bed stand. The door immediately burst open. He could barely protect his unfinished lunch as a blur tackled him into a hug.

"T-Tucker!" Danny smiled at his best friend. Tucker laughed and fixed his glasses (which were slightly askew) as he gave him some space. Danny's eyebrows drew together in confusion and concern. "Tuck, are you _crying_?"

"Of course n-not! I just have something in my eye is all." He wiped his watery eyes with his shirt with a sheepish smile. "Man, you have no idea how-" Tucker stopped short as the boys heard a the sound of heavy boots striking the ground. Tucker's eyes widened and his words were laced with panic. "Oh no. Dude, you better brace yourself." Danny raised an eyebrow, but before anything could be said, he was yanked to his feet by the collar of his shirt with near inhuman power.

"You!" A voice growled in his ear. "Not a single call, email, or even a note for crying out loud! You give us _nothing _and just leave on your own like that! Then you come back here from who _knows_ where like nothing's happened! What is _wrong _with you?

"Sam, calm down will ya!" Tucker tried to get between them, while he was yanked back and forth like chew toy. Sam abruptly let go and threw her arms around him. When she released him, she sighed and gave into a smile. "You do know you're a complete idiot, right?" she said, eyes glistening with emotion.

Danny rubbed his neck and shrugged. "Nice to see you, too." The trio of friends shared a laugh. It was a perfect moment. Danny closed his eyes for a moment, and it almost felt as if he were hanging out with them at the park, or sitting with them at school. And then he remembered why they were here in the first place, and his laughter died away.

His friends caught his abrupt change in mood. Sam scanned him over briefly. "Yeesh, I always knew you were skinny, but this is like, borderline anorexia." She said, making small talk.

"I know. My parents have been trying to fatten me up like a pig." Danny rolled his eyes. He already knew his clothes hung more loose than usual, making his already thin body even thinner. He had already been scrawny ever since he started ghost fighting. He always had to eat small meals because of ghosts that would interrupt him. Now he looked like he hardly ate at all.

Everyone waited expectantly for someone to start talking seriously. "I guess I owe you guys an apology..." Danny began.

"Yeah, and an explanation. " Tucker added with a raised eyebrow. Danny sighed.

"Look, I wish I could tell you...but I can't..." He couldn't think of a good way to say it. He barely believed it himself.

"What do you mean you can't?" Sam asked half-accusingly. "We're your friends, you can't hide something that big from us."

"I'm not hiding anything!" Danny took a deep breath, trying to keep calm. "You know I wouldn't hide anything from you guys. I just can't... remember. " He tried to explain. There was a slight pause.

"So you're saying, you can't remember anything about _threemonths_ of your life?" Tucker questioned skeptically.

"Yeah, hard to believe, I know." He furrowed his brows in concentration. "But I really can't. I keep hitting a mental block every time I try. "

"Maybe that's why your grades are low- ow!" Tucker frowned and gripped his arm. "I was joking, Sam. "

Jazz's head peeked through the door. "Hey, you guys. " Her eyes met with her brother's for a moment, asking for permission to join him. He shrugged in response and Jazz walked in, finding herself a chair. "How're you feeling, Danny?" She asked.

"Fine. " He replied simply as he stared at his socks. Her face openly showed her concern at his empty response.

"Remember anything yet?" Her voice was significantly quieter with hints of fear.

"No." He held his face in his hands and huffed in frustration.

"Hey, why don't you tell us what you do remember until you get to the blank?" Sam suggested.

"Like I haven't tried that already," Danny replied with sarcasm.

"Well saying it out loud is different from just thinking." Jazz said, supporting Sam's side. "Maybe having us here would help fill in some blanks. " She reasoned.

"Alright, alright, no need to team up against me." Danny sighed and gave in. He licked his lips and asked, "How far do I go back?"

"Do you remember where we went to hang out on Saturday?" Tucker prompted.

"The Nasty Burger." Danny answered. "We were eating there late." He smiled at the memory. "Tucker beat his record."

"It was awesome. " Tucker put his hands on his stomach proudly. Sam recoiled and wrinkled her nose.

"If by 'awesome' you mean 'utterly disgusting' then yeah, it was pretty awesome." Sam gagged dramatically.

"C'mon guys, really?" Jazz was reaching the end of her patience. "Let him finish." She nodded at Danny, pushing him to keep going.

"We were all staying at Fenton Works for the night." Danny continued. "We were walking home and..." He began to hit the blanks. He shut his eyes and concentrated as hard as he could.

"Remember? You were-" Tucker was cut off by Sam.

"Sh! Let him try to figure it out. " She hushed.

"...My ghost sense went off." Danny finally finished. "I said I would see you at the house... I 'went ghost' and followed it..." His clutched his head. He was trying so hard. But there was nothing but an empty black hole in his memories.

"Who did you fight?" Jazz asked.

"I...I don't know. Can't remember. " He sighed and gave up trying. "Look, this isn't working. Maybe we can find out what happened without my memories." He muttered, rubbing his temples. "I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't have gone away for three months on my own, at least without telling you guys first."

"Maybe someone kidnapped you or something. Then they gave you something to, like... make you forget. " Tucker thought aloud.

"Really? And they would just tuck me back into bed instead of beating me to a pulp. " Danny sarcastically said. "Fat chance."

"Well what else could've happened?" Tucker said in defense. "If you didn't leave on your own, then someone else has to have made you."

"Well even if I was kidnapped, who would've done it?" Danny paused for a moment. "Oh man... I think _Vlad_ kidnapped me." He shuddered at the thought.

Jazz frowned and said, "I don't think so." When Danny raised an eyebrow, she elaborated. "We were getting exhausted by the fifth day you were gone. Plus, we couldn't keep covering for you. So we went ahead and told Mom and Dad that you were missing. A few weeks later, we still couldn't find you and we began to get a little... desperate. Dad called Vlad and told him about the whole thing. He started searching for you himself."

Danny couldn't deny that he was more than a little surprised. So the Fruitloop did have a heart... who would've thought. And then he remembered he was here yesterday. He must have been helping his parents out then... It was a strange concept, but maybe not impossible after all. But he wouldn't let his guard down any time soon.

Jazz saw this and added, "Besides, your ghost sense doesn't go off around him, right?"

"Well he usually sends his little workers to do the dirty work for him, anyways." Danny argued.

"We can figure this out later. Tuck and I have to head to class." Sam interrupted and she and Tucker stood up and began to exit his room.

"But it's almost noon... Were you guys are cutting class?" Danny hadn't realize that just because his parents let him and his sister skip school today, it didn't mean everyone else was off the hook.

Sam rolled her eyes. "You're the one to suddenly care about skipping classes." Danny blinked. She had a good point.

They waved good-bye, leaving the siblings alone with each other. Both of them were silently thinking deeply about the situation. Danny turned away to face the window. The cars below shined in the midday sun. "It's so sunny." He spoke quietly.

"What?" Jazz asked at the seemingly random comment. He glanced her way before looking back outside.

"It's sunny outside. It wasn't like that a few months ago." He explained. Jazz nodded in agreement, but her mind was elsewhere. He respected her thoughts and didn't say another word. It wasn't long before a shiver ran down his spine as his breath fogged visibly in front of him. _Heros never get breaks, do they,_ he thought dryly.

He stood up and allowed himself to shift to his ghostly half. Colors showed vividly around him as his senses heightened and his breathing slowed to a near stop. Just as he was about to fly through the walls, his sister stopped him.

"And where do you think you're going?" She questioned.

"It's just a ghost, Jazz. It won't take long. " Danny waved her off.

"Three months," she softly said, "is a very long time." She closed her eyes briefly and took a shaky breath. "You _just _came back, Danny, how can you be leaving so soon?" He sighed and tried not to feel guilty as he floated close to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I _promise_ I won't take long, Jazz. " With that, he flew through the ceiling and disappeared.

"Be safe," Jazz whispered worriedly.

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Danny flew high above the buildings of Amity Park, scanning the area. He dove back down, trying to find the ghost that set off his ghost sense. He yelped as a blast of sound threw him into a wall. Orientating himself, he turned to the culprit and got into a fighting stance.

"So the dipstick came back home. " Ember floated above him. She smiled and quirked her head slightly. "What, no witty banter?" He growled and began to surge ecto-energy to his fists. It was around this time that he realized that he had forgotten to bring a Fenton thermos. Oh well. He would just have to go the old-fashioned way and take her back into the ghost zone by force.

The flames in her hair swelled and brightened as her fingers danced around her guitar. "Let me give you the proper welcome. " Her hand crashed down on the strings.

He was ready this time and soared out of the way. He dodged the fist shaped sound blast and quickly counterattacked with a rally of ecto-blasts. A few managed to nick her, but she swiftly created a shield of sound around her before it did any real damage. He narrowed his eyes in agitation. _That stupid guitar... wait a minute... _Suddenly, he got an idea.

The moment her shield disappeared, Danny came at her. Ember threw a few blasts at him which he was able to maneuver around (intangibility never worked around things that were charged with ecto-energy). He made sure she was busy dodging and cancelling out his ecto-rays and blasts. He worked himself until he was within a close range. He charged up blast in his hand, pouring out as much energy as he dared. He then contained and compacted that energy with a thick layer of ice. With a loud battle cry, he hurled it at her.

The energy whizzed through the air, too fast for Ember to dodge. It sliced through the defenses she created in an attempt to stop it, far too strong for any attack in that short distance to stop. The only thing left she could use to protect herself was-

_BOOM!_

The thunderous explosion forced even Danny back a few feet in the air. He shook himself clean of the debri that rained down on him. Peering through the smoke, he found Ember laying on her back on the slightly cracked streets. He swooped down and landed lightly by her. She sat up and groaned, and he noted that her hair was much shorter now. She blinked and reached for the instrument that was normally around her neck, only to find that it wasn't there. She gasped and screamed, "My _baby_!" Her eyes focused on him, and her eyes flamed as wildly as her hair.

"Oops..." He gave a weak chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. Then he flew for his half-life.

"Oh no you don't! I'm not through with you!" She grabbed him and tossed him into the side of a building. "I'm going to tear you apart!"

It all went downhill from there. She wailed on him using everything – punching, kicking, and clawing him to fulfill her promise. Danny was pinned, unable to do anything but take the beating.

"S-stop..." He gasped softly. He tried his best to swallow and speak but the blows kept coming. He needed to get out of here.

_Beatingshurthadenoughstophur tsbaddon't- _

"Stop..." His voice was a little louder, but his plea was lost in the curses Ember was screeching. Curling up as tight as he could, he squeezed his eyes shut.

_Hurtingbadstopfightfightstop fightingstop-_

_"STOP!" _His eyes flew open, glowing with an unusually bright radiance and he released the building tension a ghostly wail. He had never, _ever _wailed directly into someone's face. It was an attack he mostly saved for last, when there was something (like an army or a powerful foe) he needed out of the way. _Not_ something you'd normally use right in someone's face. The visible waves of sound threw her all the way across the street and straight into an aging building. Pieces of the walls went flying as she crashed right through it. Though he managed to stop wailing before collapsing the entire building on her, large pieces of it had fallen apart.

He clutched his pounding head with a soft moan. He willed the world to stop spinning in circles and got back to his feet. He stood frozen in place for a moment before racing over to the injured ghost.

He found her half buried in rubble and quickly scrambled to pull her out of it. After Ember was phased free, he checked her over. She was clearly unconscious and would remain out of it for sometime. Nothing seemed life... er, after-life threatening, yet there was still ectoplasm that was smeared in her. From where? Danny's eyes widened when he turned her face over and found the injury. _It's her ears... Her ears are damaged..._ He prayed it wasn't anything serious, but the sight of ectoplasm steadily flowing drowned his hopes. He shakily stood up.

"I didn't mean it..." He whispered. "I didn't mean to h-hurt you..." He stared for a long minute, shocked and unsure of what to do. If she was that upset when her guitar broke, how much angrier would she be if she woke up like this? He knew he should've stayed and tried to help. But he shamefully turned away and flew as fast as he could back home.

Why was he running? He felt so guilty and fearful, but he couldn't bring himself to be brave enough to stay. Whenever he fought ghosts, he never tried to harm them. That's why he used the thermos. He didn't even know that he had it in him to injure a ghost that bad. What was he thinking? Danny Phantom was a hero, not a coward...

_What's wrong with me?_

* * *

**Who knows, Danny?**

**Uh, I've never done fight scenes before. Some pointers would be cool. **

**Sorry if you wanted to see more Vlad in this chapter, I couldn't fit him in this chapter. But next update is going to be from his POV, so we'll see how that goes. I don't know about you, but I want to see his reaction to everything that has happened. ;P**

**Thank you again to all who have supported this story! Please continue to review so I know how this is going and such.**

**Until next time!**


	3. Chapter 3: Nightmares

**Alright, here's the third chapter! Thanks for leaving reviews, favoriting and following! It helps me out a ton when you give me tips on how to improve. **

**I don't own Danny Phantom.  
**

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**Chapter 3: Nightmares  
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Danny didn't get home until after the sun had set. Way after. Part of the reason was because he wanted to make a few rounds around Amity Park's perimeter, just in case. You never know when a ghost is trespassing. Well, there was that and also because he didn't want to face anyone just yet. He need time to just... cool off. Get his head straight. A good flight usually helped to clear his head.

When he made it back home, he phased straight into his room, completely spent. Rings of cool light appeared around his waist and transformed him into his human half. He stumbled forward with a yawn, but then stopped short of his bed. The lights were still on and there was a familiar figure occupying his bed, snoring lightly. Although the person wasn't facing him, he could already who it was. It was his older sister. What was Jazz doing in his room?

He smiled lightly. She must've stayed in his room, waiting for him to come home. It was just like her to be protective of him. _Over_ protective. Danny could see his sister pacing in his room, anxious for his return. His smile faded when he thought about it and his brows creasing in concern. He didn't mean to worry her. Well, yeah he was out sort of late but...he...She should know by now he was more than capable of taking care of himself. He thoughts came to a halt as he remembered her words...

_Three months is a very long time. _

He exhaled tiredly. It was late. He didn't want to think about his absence. He didn't have the energy to be stressed at the moment. For now, he just focused on trying to get to bed and sleeping. Danny realized that he faced a slight problem, and he quickly allowed it to occupy his thoughts. Jazz was still fast asleep, but he didn't want to wake her up and kick her out of his room. He pushed the last of his bigger troubles aside as he tried to figure out a solution. He phased the sheets from underneath her and pulled them over her without her noticing. _Thank goodness for intangibility, _he thought gratefully_. _

Turning off the lights, he slipped between the sheets beside her as quietly as he could. He hadn't done this since he was a toddler, when he was still afraid to sleep alone. The memories brought a warm feeling to his core... like he was safe. He felt safer than he had in a what seemed like forever. Everything was so crazy lately, and finally being able to stop and jtake a breath was just what he needed to let his mind unwind and drop its barriers. He froze midway when she began to stir. He could've sworn that he heard her breathe,"Night, little brother."

Pulling the sheets over himself, he whispered back, "Night, Jazz."

* * *

The mayor of Amity Park sat in front of his desk, working through a stack of documents. Or was trying to, anyways. He stared unseeingly at the papers for a another moment, before growling in frustration. He gave in, setting down his work and walking over to the window. He couldn't concentrate. Not when there was so much to think about. There were so many mysteries to be solved, and they all originated at a certain half-ghost's disappearance...

A few months ago, Vlad Masters was at it again, trying to figure out a way to get revenge on Jack (his eyes flashed red at the very thought), win Madeline's heart, and most importantly, have her son to raise as his own...

Daniel.

He was the ultimate prize. With him by his side, Jack and Maddie would no longer be any kind of trouble. There would be no one left to defend Maddie's heart or Jack's life. And he would have the perfect half-ghost son. After 20 long, miserable years of suffering and loneliness, it was what he deserved. It was his very _right_ to be able to raise another person that was like him as his own. It always irritated him to no end that Daniel was so very _difficult_. He would never break or bend no matter what he threw at him. And the lengths that boy would go to protect his loved ones and those wretches residing in Amity Park... He had a deadly combination of both stubbornness and a strong will. He hated that.

And yet, he loved it. His rebellious nature was one of the most interesting characteristics about him. There was nothing better than engaging in a battle with the boy. At times, it felt like the only thing colorful and interesting in his dulled life was good fight. There was always something new to learn about him, a surprise in every battle. It never ceased to amaze Vlad that he was so strong willed. If only Daniel wasn't so stubborn to see that his real place was right by his side. Again and again he was reminded about how much he wanted that boy to look up to him...

And then he got the call. He heard Maddie's weeping as Jack solemnly told him their son went missing. To others, who would've only heard crying and pleading, Vlad heard the calling of a new opportunity. He understood this to be life giving him another chance. Life always had a way of bending to his will with time. He felt a surge of pure excitement and joy. Daniel's unyielding will had finally broken. Really, Vlad always knew it was only a matter of time before his life of ghost fighting and other pressures finally built up and did the trick.

He concluded that Daniel had ran away from home, the burdens he carried finally being too much for him. His fragile state of mind was just what he needed. The boy would have no where but Vlad's mansion to live. He would find Daniel and show him his true path, the one leading to him. All he would need was a few words of guidance, maybe a slight push, and he would be all his, free to shape and mold as he wished. It was almost like a dream come true.

But first he would have to find him. Vlad searched the immediate vicinity, and later all of Amity Park. He searched various places outside of it he might've gone to. He even made numerous trips into the ghost zone. Eventually, he had to start asking Skulker and Fright Knight to continue his investigations. He looked into every nook and cranny but Danny was nowhere to be found. But the boy _was _half-ghost, so if he wanted to disappear, there was nothing to stop him. He would give it some before he would allow himself to worry.

By the time a month had gone by, he was going absolutely insane. His worry quickly gave way to desperation. There were only so many places he could've gone off to. Not even Skulker, the best tracker there is, could find any trace of him. Vlad knew Daniel well enough to know that he wouldn't have thought of covering his tracks. He wasn't the type to plan ahead. Perhaps... someone else had found him first. Or maybe he had even been taken from the beginning. That thought brought forth the most anger. Someone else had put their _filthy _hands on _his_ little badger and tried to steal him away (this time, pieces of wall were blasted away as he tried to calm his rage).

Daniel's safety became first priority. He canceled his meetings and put off work to allow for more time for searching. Even his eating and sleeping was neglected. He wouldn't rest until he found something... _anything at all_ that would prove that he was still here... still alive. He refused to believe he was gone. It was with horror, he realized that this was no dream. It was a terrifying nightmare.

He began to work with the Fentons themselves, using their inventions and knowledge to help him find clues. He would do anything if it could help find his little badger, including putting aside his differences with Jack and Maddie. They were planning another search around Amity Park, just incase he had come back and was in the area. He went out to his car to get the papers showing various reports of possible clues in both the human and ghost world, as well as locations he might've gone to. When he came back, he could hardly believe his eyes. There, the very one they were looking for stood in the flesh, right in front of him.

From the moment he saw him, he became as much suspicious as he was surprised. Something wasn't adding up. Besides, of course the obvious. Sure, he had come home mysteriously and without his own knowledge of ever leaving the place. But Vlad was much more observant than that. He could see much more than the average eye. The second the siblings had closed the door, he excused himself from the Fentons and left the house. Or so they thought. He drove his car (which he took instead of the usual limo to try and avoid attention from the media) up a few blocks before parking and shifting into his ghost form. He disregarded Jasmine's meaningless threat as he looped back towards Fenton Works and spied on Daniel invisibly. His trained eyes picked up what the others couldn't. His involuntary actions, behavior... something wasn't right. He just wasn't sure what it was yet.

He was certain of one thing. He would be keeping a close eye on the boy.

* * *

Amity Park lay buried beneath a blanket of white snow. Ice decorated the buildings, making them sparkle brightly. The trio of friends trudged through the thick layers of snow that covered the sidewalks.

"C'mon Tuck, you're not seriously gonna make us drag you all the way home, are you?" Sam asked, irritably.

"I'm so full... can't... go on..." Tucker moaned in response. "I think... I'm going into a food coma..."

"Hey, look on the brightside. You beat your record by two supersized Nasty Burgers." Danny grinned. He and Sam were half supporting and half dragging him along.

"Ugh, don't even remind me. He pretty much devoured a whole cow in one sitting." Sam's nose wrinkled in disgust. "Thank goodness not everyone eats like you."

"If I don't make it... tell my PDA... I love her..." Tucker exaggerated a sniffle. Sam decided she had enough and abruptly threw him face first into the snow. Danny laughed at their antics and helped his friend back onto his feet. Tucker brushed himself off and huffed at Sam's rude action.

There was a period of peace. The only sounds were the rhythmic crunching of snow and labored breaths, which fogged in the frigid air. The wind nipped at their skin, making them wrap their layers around themselves for warmth. Well, excluding Danny. His icy core kept his overall temperature low, so freezing wasn't as much of a problem for him.

They were only a couple blocks away from the house now. The huge building stuck out like a sore thumb against the neighboring houses. It exterior alone was crowded with various signs and attachments. But really, you'd expect nothing less from a ghost hunting family. Danny jolted as his insides suddenly felt like being dosed in frozen water. An excessive amount of chilly fog was expelled from his mouth. He groaned. It was just his luck.

"I'm gonna have to meet you guys at Fenton Works," he muttered, already beginning to survey the skies.

"What, a ghost?" Tucker asked with a frown.

"Yeah, but that's okay. I'll make this quick. You guys go on and set up _Doomed _for us." Danny replied easily.

"Alright. You have a thermos?" Sam accepted his reassuring nod and she turned to join Tucker, marching on towards the house.

"See ya." Danny waved at them, expecting a response. He frowned when he got none. "Hey, I said bye. " Still, there was no sign of acknowledgement. In fact, they hadn't even moved an inch. Even the wind and snow had stilled. It was as if the whole world froze. _Something's wrong... _He reached out towards them, but before he could reach them, they disappeared right before his eyes. He blinked. _What's going on?_

And then the world around him vanished, leaving him in a vast darkness. It was neither cold nor hot. Danny wasn't sure if sure he was standing on anything at all, being that nothing was visible through the dark. No light could penetrate his surroundings. He couldn't even see his hands if they were right in front of his face. He tried calling out, but there was no sound nor answer. He was all alone, blind and deaf. He was lost without his senses in the nothingness. He stumbled aimlessly for a while (a minute, an hour? There was nothing to help him keep track of time), trying to figure out what was happening and find a way out.

It started of softly at first. There was a soft cry behind him. Maybe he wasn't alone after all... He whirled around to find it, but he saw nothing. Then Danny heard it again and again, sounding closer each time. He remained unable to see in the darkness, though. More cries and yells echoed around him, and soon he couldn't distinguish between the voices anymore. The pleas for help were getting louder and louder... and soon they were full-blown screams. He covered his ears and fell to his knees, but it did nothing to soften the screaming. It was as if his ears would shatter, and he couldn't help but cry and scream himself...

_-can't stop-_

_-help me-_

_-want out-_

_-no more-_

"Danny!"

His eyes flew open and he sat straight up in bed. His scream died away, leaving him to gasp greedily for air. He lowered his head to rest upon his knees, covering his face with trembling hands. The wetness on his face was a mixture of sweat and tears. He stayed like this for a long time, feeling icy droplets run down his back, the fact that he had an audience long forgotten. He jumped when he heard Jazz speak again.

"Are you alright? What happened?" She asked in a whisper. Danny glanced at her, seeing her pale face and slightly watery eyes. She had been just as scared as him.

His breaths came easier now that he had time to calm down. He spoke once we he was sure that he wouldn't stutter. "I'm fine, Jazz. Just a nightmare." She stood up, knowing that her little brother was fine.

"...Okay then." She was letting him off the hook this time. "Try to get some sleep. You're going to school tomorrow. " She informed as she exited the room.

"Wait, what? _School?_" Danny looked up with wide eyes. "We have _way _bigger things to worry about. Can't we just... lay it off for another week or something?"

"No, Danny." Jazz paused at the door and put her hands on her hips and assumed the bossy-older-sister role he always hated. "Incase you forgot, you've been laying it off for months. You have a ton of work you need to make up if you don't want to repeat a grade. Laying it off more is just going to make it harder for yourself. Besides, Sam and Tucker can't keep skipping classes to see you."

He sighed in defeat. "Fine, fine." He muttered. He always did forget he was gone for so long, having no memory to remind him. She finally left the room, closing the door behind her. Danny got up and moved to the window.

Although it was still dark out, it was already early morning. He stood there and thought about his dream. Only, he knew it wasn't one. It was much more vivid than that. It was a memory. The one just before he went missing. He growled and laid his head on his folded arms on the windowsill. He _still _couldn't remember past that part. After the memory, however, there was something else... It was like the memory suddenly cut itself off and twisted into a freakish nightmare.

He just wanted some answers. It was so tiring to have to wait. He didn't understand anything right now. And Ember... He couldn't act like he didn't remember what he did forever. The feeling of guilt consumed him as he saw her in his mind's eye, bleeding... ectoplasm... He tried not to think about it in too much detail. He never slipped up that bad before. _I mean, really, how do you accidentally use your _ghostly wail _on someone, _he thought to himself. And then he just left her there... What if a ghost hunter caught her? He really hoped that she would be alright. He attempted to encourage himself by telling himself that he hadn't seen all that much ectoplasm on her. But then again, he left before he saw how much damage he had really done. For all he knew, the damage was all internal. A few trickles of ectoplasm on the outside could mean a whole mess on the inside.

He watched the sun peek it's head over the horizon. There was no way he was going back to bed now. As much as he wanted some rest, he really didn't want to go back to that nightmare. He knew he would be fine for school. It wasn't like this was the first time he had gone without much sleep for a few days.

Danny didn't want to go back to school. He knew he had a lot of making up to do, and he didn't want to make his friends cut classes for him. But being in school meant being around people. He wasn't sure if he was ready for that yet. He knew he was going to be gawked at. And there was no doubt he would have several rumors going around the school. Not to mention his favorite bully, Dash, would be picking on him. He groaned and rubbed his forehead.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

**I sense trouble... Watch out Danny!**

**As promised, Vlad showed up. A little. Don't worry though, I've got a lot planned with him. But that comes a bit later. And -*gasp*- he didn't kidnap Danny!? What has this world come to!? :O**

**I kind of liked the cute brother-sister bonding thing. It reminds me of when I was little :3**

**Coming up next is Danny's day at school and stuffs. **

**Please continue to review, tell me how I'm doing and what you think about the story. **

**See you next time!**


	4. Chapter 4: Back to School

**Hello! Sorry about the wait, somethings came up and *mumble mumble*...**

**Okay, yeah, I also got lazy. But I'm back now. So, here it is...**

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Back to School**

* * *

Danny sat at the table, stirring his cereal with an absent mind. He rubbed his tired eyes with a yawn, lack of sleep beginning to take its toll. It was always hardest to stay awake in the mornings, but he knew that once he got past it he would be able to get by the rest of the day. He was down a bit early, having woken up hours before he usually did, and he had gotten tired of sitting and staring out a window. It was nice to be able to just sit down at the table and actually have a legit breakfast. He hadn't had one in forever.

His eyes began to close and his head drooped, making his messy hair dangle dangerously close to his cereal. His thoughts were slipping, and he contemplated giving in to the darkness that resided just behind his eyelids. Maybe he could catch a quick snooze before his friends came to walk to school with him... His unkempt hair began to brush against the milk in his bowl when he heard the sound of thundering footsteps.

With a sharp intake of breath, Danny jumped in his seat, sitting ramrod straight. He blinked away the sleep from his eyes and searched for the origin of the noise. His parents charged down the stairs, weapons out and ready to fight the non-existent danger.

"Oh...there you are kiddo. Almost thought you were gone again." His father laughed loudly and put a large hand on Danny. His parents tucked their guns and lasers away into their jumpsuits. "No ghost will ever touch my son again as long as Jack Fenton lives!" He proclaimed, almost as if to ward off nearby ghosts.

"Sweetie, what are you doing down here so early?" Maddie asked with a frown and her motherly instincts took over as she wiped milk off of the tips of his hair with a napkin. Danny watched Mom clean his hair and shrugged in reply. He grumbled a barely audible, "School".

Jack beamed proudly at his son. "Look at our son, Mads. Waking up bright and early for school like a true Fenton!" He gave a dramatic sniff. Danny rolled his eyes and huffed. He _really_ didn't want to go.

His mother, being more observant, saw his lack of enthusiasm. She brushed his hair out of his eyes and looked him over. It was obvious he hadn't had a good rest yet. "Jack... Maybe we're pushing things a bit. Should we wait until he settles down a little more?"

"Nonsense, Maddie! Our son can handle himself!" Jack assured confidently. But she wasn't convinced yet.

"Danny, we could always wait a little longer..." she began, but Danny spoke before she could finish.

"Yeah, it's fine. I probably have a mountain of work to do and putting it off isn't going to help." Sure, he didn't want to go. At all. But he knew better than to try and avoid something as important as school. He would have to face it sooner or later. His mother finally seemed to stop worrying.

His dad alerted him that his friends had arrived. Danny pushed away his half eaten cereal and slung his backpack. His parents wished him a good day at school, to which he gave a half-hearted wave to, and he walked outside.

He was greeted with the sun's warm embrace and he took it in greedily. A slight smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. Waking up a bit, he strode towards his friends who were waiting in front of his home. Danny gave a nod in acknowledgment and the trio walked on to Casper High. No words passed between them. It was much too early to be talking and there wasn't much to say right now anyways. The silence wasn't awkward. It was peace.

Danny's heart sank as the school came into view. He put up his mental barricades and braced for the worst. Sam and Tucker noticed this but decided not to say anything. They all knew what was going to happen and the best thing to do was just make it through the day until the whole thing blows over. Things would eventually settle down, but until it did...

It reeked.

The moment they stepped into the halls, all chattering was silenced so quick that Mr. Lancer would've been proud. Danny gritted his teeth as he felt eyes burrow into him. Sam and Tucker moved closer protectively as if to shield him. Not that it helped much. They speed walked through the halls, listening to the whispers of gossip as they passed by. Danny's sensitive ears were able to pick out a few words and phrases.

"...Fenton's back..."

"...Heard he ran away..."

"...Who cares..."

"...Still a loser..."

Tucker was able to keep calm by focusing on his PDA. Sam kept her composure with practiced ease, although there was a barely detectable trace of annoyance. Unfortunately for the half ghost, he wasn't used to being in the spotlight and was clearly struggling to force an indifferent look onto his face. The three of them were never so eager to get to class early.

They were inside five minutes before the bell rang–a world record in Danny's opinion, his average usually being somewhere between ten to fifteen minutes _after_ the bell.

"Mr. Fenton! Welcome back." Their teacher greeted in a shocked tone. Even Mr. Lancer was surprised, though he knew his parents had already contacted the school so that they knew he was back. The surprise could've come from the fact that he had actually shown up to class after such a long time, not to mention, early.

"Morning, Mr. Lancer," Danny replied with a slight mumble. He looked away, feeling a bit awkward. He never really talked to his teachers unless it regarded him failing the class. Danny weaved his way to his assigned seat and rested his head against the desk. He tried to relax before his classmates arrived and made things hectic.

He kept his eyes closed as he heard the class become louder and louder with chatter that didn't belong to his friends. As the students entered, they spoke in hushed voices, the kind you only use when you want to talk about someone behind their back... except he was right in front of them. _Jeez, at least show a little restraint, _he thought of course, no one really cared about him. He was always being treated differently. To them, he was either a nobody or he was dirt. Or both. It was always like that. Good thing he had Tucker and Sam.

The bell rang and class started, although no one paid attention to it. It took Mr. Lancer at least four tries to get everyone to settle down. He began his lecture on some new book we were reading. Suddenly, a ball of crumpled up paper was thrown at Danny's head. He caught it before it reached him, thanks to his ghostly reflexes. He was annoyed at first, until he glanced over his shoulder and saw Tucker motioning for him to open it up. Danny carefully unfolded it and inspected the hastily written note.

"_Class copy in the desk," _it read, and he turned around to give Tucker a nod so he knew that he read the note. His friend smiled back him and went back to following Mr. Lancer in the book. Danny turned back around and reached into the desk, pulling out an old, worn out hard-cover book. It was titled, _All Quiet On The Western Front. _

Danny furrowed his brows as he tried to remember something about the book. The title was very familiar. Wasn't it about some dude who went to world war... Something? He didn't know much about it and frankly, he wasn't very interested. He rested his face on his hand and exhaled slowly. Time passed at a snail's pace, going even slower with the eyes that burned into his back and the occasional whisper of gossip around him. He ground his teeth together, feeling his endurance wearing thin.

He focused as hard as he could in Mr. Lancer, desperately trying to distract himself. _Just until lunch,_ he repeated in his head.

* * *

_Briiiiiiiiiiing!_

Danny jumped up from his seat. He scrambled to fit all of his books, papers and binders into his backpack, carelessly shoving them away. He never felt so happy to hear that bell ring. Mr. Lancer was still shouting last minute assignments at us, which were lost in the sea of people and noise. Everyone was rushing to get outside, making it hard to spot his friends.

Pausing for a moment, he allowed the crowd of students to water down so he could see better. He caught a glimpse of them close to the exit, waiting for him to catch up. Sure that they hadn't left him yet, he began to carefully make his way to them. Not many students were left in the classroom now, which was never a good thing. Nobody ever liked being the last one out, the main reason being that those who were last were often-

"Mr. Fenton, could you stay behind a moment?" Mr. Lancer calmly called to him from behind his desk. "I assure you I won't hold you back for long."

Danny froze in place, internally cursing his bad luck. Sam and Tucker, who had heard what their teacher had told him, shared a silent look. "We'll save you a spot," Tucker called before leaving along with Sam. He stared longingly at the empty spots where they were moments ago, before resigning and turning to Mr. Lancer, hoping he didn't get a detention already on his first day back to school. The teacher tried to smile slightly as if to ease the growing discomfort, but seeing that it wasn't working as well as he had hoped, he went straight to the point.

"As you have probably already figured out, you have a lot of work ahead of you if you don't want to be held back." Mr. Lancer paused to make sure Danny was following. He nodded in agreement and his teacher continued.

"It is nearly impossible to help you get all of this done during school hours, since I do have a class to teach. You can either stay after school and work with me, or we can assign you a tutor. I assume you would rather go with the latter, correct?"

"I guess... but, who's gonna be my tutor?" Danny would rather do almost anything than stay after school with Mr. Lancer. Almost. It all depended on who his tutor would be.

"Oh, don't worry. You know her very well," His teacher winked at him.

"'Her'?" Danny repeated, still confused. Then he thought about it. Who would be smart enough to be tutor and is a girl... "Jazz?" He guessed. Mr. Lancer nodded in answer and Danny relaxed, feeling the tension diffuse significantly.

"Your sister will be receiving all of the materials you need to catch up. I believe there is no one better to help get you back on your feet than her." He grinned proudly and added, "I'm sure you will be back with us in no time." Danny resisted rolling his eyes at his teacher's confidence in Jazz. _Well, this is going a lot better than expected,_ he thought.

"Thank you, sir," He said gratefully, glad he was getting help from someone he knew. He turned back to the door, getting slightly anxious to leave. He didn't want to keep Sam and Tucker waiting.

"One last thing," Mr. Lancer stopped him from exiting once more. His hand paused over the doorknob as he stayed to listen to what his teacher had to say. He heard the chair Mr. Lancer was sitting on squeak in protest as he leaned forward. His hands clasped together on the table in front of him and his voice dropped in volume. Danny wasn't sure what he was going to say, but he wasn't comfortable with the tension, which had come back twice as thick.

"Perhaps you only see me as a teacher, but I do like to know my students _outside_ of school as well. I know things are probably rough right now..." _You have no idea,_ Danny thought dryly. "... but if you ever need to talk to someone about anything, you can always talk to me."

Danny blinked, a little shocked. He certainly wasn't prepared for that. He opened his mouth silently, unsure how to respond. There were so many things he could say to that, so many things he wanted to say. Did his teacher think he could understand him? Relate to him? Something snarled inside of him and he felt a strange sort of... _anger_ come seemingly out of nowhere. He shook his his head and pushed it aside. Instead, he answered with a simple, "Thanks."

"Anytime, Mr. Fenton." Mr. Lancer smiled encouragingly as Danny dashed out the door, keeping his head down to avoid any stares from bystanders.

He sprinted down the halls, which were nearly empty of people. Only a few people were still around since it was well into lunch already. He made it outside and jogged over to his friends, who were sitting at their usual table. He slipped into his seat and set down his things. Burying his face in his arms he sighed in relief, glad to be back with his friends.

"That bad, huh?" Tucker set down his spork and patted him on the back. Danny raised his head enough so he could speak clearly.

"Man, I hope I never have to do that again," he muttered.

"So what happened?" Sam asked curiously after taking a bite of her sandwich. "You didn't get in trouble already, did you?" There was an obvious unvoiced threat in her tone.

"No, no it's nothing like that," he said quickly, and she calmed down. "It's just... Jazz is gonna be my tutor now, since I gotta catch up and stuff."

"Huh. I thought you said it was bad." Tucker said taking a bite of his meatloaf.

"No, _that_ wasn't the bad part. It's what he said _afterwards._" He contemplated not telling them what happened, but he decided to just do a quick summary and skip the details. "He told me something like 'I know you're going through a hard time' and 'you can always talk to me'. It was really... weird."

They blinked. "Yeah, weird. " Tucker commented, but neither he nor Sam knew that Danny was talking about something completely different when he said that. "And a little creepy."

"Yeah, I don't think he's the kind of guy you'd tell your inner secrets to, " Sam joined in, making a face.

"Like you needed to tell me," Danny grimaced. It was then he noticed the space before him was strangely empty. "Must have forgotten to get food..." He mumbled mostly to himself.

"Here, you can have some of mine." Tucker said, pushing his tray towards him. Danny stared at the meatloaf a few moments before shaking his head.

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm cool." He said dismissively. "It's not a big deal, really."

"'Not a big deal'?" Sam scoffed and pointed a finger. "It's like you're half-starved. No wonder why Lancer thought you needed someone to talk to."

"Okay, fine! I'll just grab something from a vending machine or get something at home." He gave in to assure them, but internally felt a little uneasy. He didn't feel as bad as they said he looked at all. Just a little tired.

"Hey so.. uh.." Tucker coughed and Danny immediately refocused onto the uncertainty in his friend's voice. "Do you remember anything yet?"

Danny's face fell upon hearing the question. "No."

"Still?" Sam frowned and adopted a thoughtful look. "That can't be good."

"Yeah, I know," Danny agreed soberly. "Do you think this.. memory blank is permanent?"

They shrugged, also unsure. Tucker's brows came together as he concentrated on trying to figure out the mystery. "It's so strange."

"What, not being able to recall a thing in the three months you went missing? It _is _pretty strange." Sam scoffed at the obvious comment.

"Well that too, but don't you think it's a little off that he would just wake up in his own bed like normal?" He explained.

"You mean, like, instead of just wasting me or dumping me into the streets, someone brought me home?" Danny shuddered at the thought of some creeper going to his house and tucking him into bed. And he still wasn't letting go of the idea that Vlad had _something _to do with all of this.

"Why would anyone do that? Who would go through all the effort of kidnapping someone just to let them go?" Tucker continued to ask.

"And that's saying that you didn't run away," Their female friend added. "But I'm pretty sure it's safe to assume that it isn't a possibility, anyways."

"You guys know I would've told you if I ever had to leave." Danny felt a hint of a grin on his face, feeling a little proud of his friends and his confidence in them. They smiled back, thinking the same.

"So, who do you think could've done it... _Besides _Vlad, Danny," Sam looked pointedly at him, who in turn shot her a light glare.

"I have a ton of enemies." Danny spoke with frustration. "It's gonna be nearly impossible to pinpoint a single one."

"Well we could at least try narrowing it down. " Tucker suggested. "Which one would be most likely to kidnap you and be able to mess with your memory?

"Besides Vlad?" Danny leaned back and crossed his arms stubbornly. "Not sure. "

Tucker sighed and said, "Look, I don't like him any more than you do. We all know he's a total Fruitloop, but isn't there a _tiny_ possibility that he didn't do anything this time? He doesn't have to be behind everything, and besides, you said it yourself, dude, you got a ton of enemies. "

"Hey guys," Sam spoke swiftly before Danny could retaliate. "What about Freakshow? He made you disappear once, and that time you weren't able to remember a lot about what happened either." They were reminded of the incident when Freakshow put Danny under his control and forced him to work for him. After the spell was broken, his memory got pretty scrambled.

"I don't think so. He's locked up pretty tight right now by the Guys in White, right?" Danny countered, and then added as an afterthought, "Plus, we smashed his staff into pieces, so how could he have controlled me again without it?"

"I guess you're right. I'm just putting it out there." She shrugged.

They went on, naming possible enemies and making a list (which was stored away into Tucker's PDA). So far, there was Desiree, Skulker, and the Guys in White. They ended up putting Freakshow on the list, just to be safe. By the time they were finished, the bell rang once more, signaling the end of their break.

"I guess that's it for now," Sam concluded, looking at the list of names. "We can think of more later."

"Ugh, I seriously don't wanna go back to class," Danny complained as they got up to leave.

"Dude, at least it's a Wednesday." Tucker said, but his words brought little comfort to Danny.

* * *

The minute the final bell rang, Danny was sprinting out the door like a madman. He carelessly shoved bystanders aside in his

haste, desperate for escape. He even left his friends struggling to catch up with him. It was only when they finally reached the school exit he slowed down his pace. He pushed open the doors and inhaled the sweet smell of the doors.

"Haha, finally, freedom!" Danny laughed. "Man, I thought this day would never end."

"Now you just have to do all that make-up work with your sister." Tucker said cheerily, although his words unintentionally brought up a gloomy expression on his friend's face.

"Gee Tuck, I thought it was _my_ job to make people depressed, " Sam sniggered at Danny's quick change in mood, but stopped short at an unusual sight outside.

Directly in front of the gang was a long, sleek, black limousine. It was parked neatly next to the sidewalk, the fancy vehicle sticking out like a sore thumb. No one around here (besides maybe Sam, but she never showed it) was wealthy enough to own such a thing. The chauffeur stepped out and opened up the door. Straightening up with his hands clasped behind his back was...

"Ah, Daniel. So nice to see you again." The mayor spoke, smirking.

* * *

**Sorry it's been so slow! Argh, I wanna get into the action but I couldn't fit everything in this chapter. I promise within the next 2 chapters things are seriously going to heat up. So thank you everyone who's being patient and baring with me! I'm already working on the next chapter as we speak, so I think I can get it up within a few days even.**

**As always, thanks to all the favorites and follows! Please remember to leave a quick review- it helps me out a ton! I'll see ya soon~**


	5. Chapter 5: Dark Plans

**Hey! To all them reviews, followers, and favorites- Thank you so much for the support~!**

**I'm so grateful for all the kind people out there who bring a smile to my face and brighten my day. It really helps me keep going :3**

**Anyways, here's the next chapter...**

**I don't own Danny Phantom.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Dark Plans**

* * *

Danny felt his blood boil at Vlad's taunting smirk. His hands curled into fists as he resisted the tempting thought of blasting him off

his feet right then and there. He was about to yell at him when Sam beat him to the punch.

"Just what do you think you're doing here?" She growled, stepping forward. Vlad's smirk grew, as he studied her for a moment before turning his attention back to Danny.

"Your parents have asked me to come pick you up." Vlad spoke smoothly, completely ignoring his friends. He strolled up to him and quickly snatched his arm with the grace of cat.

"Ah! Let go of me!" Danny cried out in protest at the sudden movement, but he quickly yanked him close.

He leaned into his face and sneered, "And you better come with me, if you know what's good for you." His eyes flashed crimson, sending chills down his spine. He gulped fearfully and nodded. Vlad stood straight and proceeded to walk off with the young Fenton, his grip never loosening. It probably looked like he was a five year of kid that just got scolded by a parent.

Danny twisted around in his iron grip to try to get one last look at his friends. He saw their shocked and horrified faces and tried to mouth to them that he was alright, but he was cut off when he was suddenly tossed into the fancy vehicle. Vlad got in, sitting across from him and soon the car was in motion.

Danny brushed himself off and sat up properly. "What do you want, _Plasmius_?" He asked, spitting out his ghostly name like poison.

"Come now Daniel, be nice." He teased, highly amused. It was wearing down on his nerves.

"You're telling _me_ to be nice! You're the one that should be nice! You're freaking _kidnapping_ me!"

Vlad chuckled at his insults and patted his hair affectionately. He growled, feeling the contact stoke the flames inside of him.

"Fine, then!" Danny quickly went ghost, rings of light appearing from his waist and changing him from Fenton to Phantom. He lunged for Plasmius, wanting nothing more than to wipe the smile from his face.

He saw the elder halfa move out of the way before he could reach him, but his next movements were so fast he couldn't quite catch what happened. Before he knew it he was completely pinned beneath him.

"Q-quit sitting on me!" He gasped out from underneath his weight, wriggling to get free.

"I will resist the temptation to win another fight with you, since we do have much to discuss," Plasmius said casually, almost bored, "and it will go much smoother if you do the same. "

Danny, seeing that thrashing would get him nowhere, stilled and morphed back into Fenton. Plasmius let him up and he wasted no time getting back to his seat, getting as far away from his arch-enemy as possible. His face was flushed, partly because of his hurt pride and his breaths were still coming fast.

"See? Much more civilized."

"Get on with it, V-man. You're testing the patience that I _don't_ have." He growled impatiently.

Sighing, his arch-enemy crossed his arms and got straight to his point. "Where were you when you went missing?" He leaned towards him, pinning Danny where he sat.

Danny's eyes narrowed. "Shouldn't I be asking you the same question?"

"Are you implying that I kidnapped you for months and _returned you to your family_ like nothing happened?"

"Well, I don't know! You're a fruitloop! That's what crazy people do, right?"

"Would you quit using that infernal name!"

"Nope." Danny grinned with a savage pleadure seeing Vlad begin to lose it. _Ah, one of the best things about being the superhero - being able to make your enemies go nuts!_

"Let's get one thing straight, _little badger,_" Vlad said with a grin of his own, seeing that his words were indeed annoying him. "I didn't have anything to do with this."

"And why should I believe you?"

"Honestly, Daniel, if I ever got you in my clutches, I would never let you go. Not to mention, erase your memory of our time together."

Danny was just about to respond when he realized something. _Wait... how did he know that?_ "How did you know I can't remember?" He asked suspiciously.

"You made it quite clear you didn't know who took you yourself," He lied casually, though Danny didn't realize this.

"I still don't trust you," Danny muttered stubbornly, even though he was unable to find any evidence to disprove his innocence. He crossed his arms with a pout. "Besides, what does it matter? I'm here now. All I gotta do now is find whoever did this kick their butt!"

Vlad scoffed. "That's it? You think that's all there is to it? Find the culprit and go home like everythings fine and dandy?"

"Hey, I've fought a ton of ghosts before, I know how to handle this!" He argued. He wasn't a little kid anymore! He knew could handle this on his own.

"Not like this one, you haven't." He spoke gravely. Suddenly, his voice dropped in volume, as if he were afraid that someone was listening. "Whoever is behind this has much more brains than you. Think about it Daniel. Someone is powerful enough to whisk you away without a trace, without even _your _recollection of this, as well as keep you hidden and undetectable for _months_! That is something even _I_ would find difficult."

The younger halfa blinked. _Did Vlad just put down his own pride?_

"And this person, having all this in their grasp..._just throws it away_." He went on in a whisper. Then he straightened slightly and spoke louder. "Do you have any idea what that means?"

"Uh...no," came his stupid reply.

"It means, whatever they have plotted with you, is _not finished_. They aren't done with you yet." He finished. "Do you see, dear boy? You may be here now, but you are not out of the woods just yet. You are still being used. And here you are, going along with all their plans just the way they want you to, oblivious to all this."

The Fenton swallowed nervously. He... didn't think about it like that! _"_Oh man... I gotta tell Sam and Tuck this..."

"And what can they do?" He laughed. "Face it, your little sidekicks can't help you anymore than you yourself can."

"W-well, I don't know! I know they can help me somehow!" He reddened slightly, hearing his stuttering. His eyes narrowed at a sudden thought. "Why are _you_ telling me this?"

Vlad sat up, folding his hands neatly on his lap. "You cannot do this on your own." He paused before going on, "I'm offering you help."

Danny stared for a few moments before bursting into peals of laughter. "You - hahaha- help me? Really, how stupid do you think I am!"

"You'd be a bigger fool to turn down my offer."

"Oh yeah?" He challenged, once he got his laughter under control. "You expect me to believe you're just gonna help me out of the sheer goodness of your heart? You don't even have a heart!"

"This is serious Daniel! It is more dangerous than ever, and you know that no one else can help you better than I."

"Really. And if I were to accept your offer?"

"Well, of course my services are not for free..." Vlad's mouth grew into a knowing grin.

Danny rolled his eyes. "See what I mean? There's _always_ a catch. I'm not denouncing my father or giving up my mother or becoming your evil apprentice or whatever."

Of course, his arch-enemy had already foreseen his refusal, but it was all part of the plan. Plasmius relaxed into his seat, still wearing that same smirk, and told him, "I see you will not take up my offer until you see just how badly you need me. So be it. But when you realize that you are in far deeper than you thought, know that my offer still stands."

The young halfa scowled looking out the window. The limo had slowed to a stop in front of Fenton Works. "Hmph. Good luck with that, Vladdie. I'm outta here."

Danny bolted before the vehicle before it even really stopped, swinging his backpack onto his shoulders. He scurried up the steps, fumbling to unlock the door with his house key, anxious to put distance between him and the crazy fruitloop. He opened the door, flinging himself inside. He spun around quickly to try and shut the door before he followed, but a hand shot out just before it slammed close. He let out a groan.

"Going somewhere, Little badger?" He purred, pushing open the door.

"Can't you just leave-" He cut himself off when he saw his dad enter the room from the lab.

"V-man! What a surprise!" The bulky ghost hunter said in a near yell. "What brings ya here?"

The young Fenton bristled at his words. "What do you mean, Dad?" He glared at Vlad and hissed, "You told me they wanted you to take me home!"

"I decided to take my dear nephew home," He smiled with fake kindness, patting Danny fondly on the head. "I knew you wouldn't mind."

"Aw, thanks Vlad! I knew I could always count on you!" Jack suddenly hooked his arm around his "college-buddy's" thin frame, reeling him in like a fish. "Let's grab some fudge and then I can blather to you about ghosts!" The raven haired teen wasn't sure whether he should laugh at his dad's antics, or be indignant with the fact he was letting that lying snake into his house.

"Sorry, Jack," Vlad laughed nervously as he struggled out of the iron head lock he was in. He wiggled out the tight grip, standing straight as he smoothed the wrinkles from his suit with a frown. "As much as I would love to, I'm not staying."

"What?" Danny blurted out loud before he could stop himself. The Fruitloop would _never_ pass up such a good opportunity to get closer to his mom or kill his dad. He could've stayed just because he knew it would annoy him! Why didn't he?

A teasing smile spread on the mayor's face. "Do you miss me already, little badger?"

"N-no! I didn't mean... I said..." He stuttered, trying to explain, when he realized he wasn't going to win this. " Argh! Just.. nevermind."

Vlad laughed as his young opponent accepted defeat. "Well, tell Madeline I stopped by," he said as he got ready to leave. "And good luck, Daniel. You'll need it." Danny knew he was referring to their earlier conversation and crossed his arms with a glare in defiance. And then he left.

The teen's arms fell to his sides the moment he was out the door, exhaling heavily. Yeah, he definitely had his fill of fruitloops for today. He continued to stare at the door as he began the tedious task of processing everything. He knew Plasmius was surely up to something. Why else would he have left early or offer to even _help_ him? The latter was outrageous all by itself. _I mean, we are __**enemies**__! Doesn't that mean anything to him?_ He mentally yelled. There was no doubt that he would be using the situation to his advantage.

That is, if he wasn't already behind the whole thing to begin with. Danny still wasn't sure if he was as innocent as he said. Although much of the evidence was very convincing, why should he even try to believe him? It's not like he had never lied to him before. But his sister, who he obviously trusted much more, also defended him. He knew Jazz wouldn't lie to him.

He shook his head. He wasn't going to accept that he didn't have anything to do with this yet. For now, he would wait and see. Answers would come eventually. All he needed to do right now was keep strong like the hero he was, and not give into Vlad's nutty plans – or anyone else's, for that matter. There was no way he was going to let him make him into his evil apprentice! His face hardened with resolve at these thoughts.

"Danny?" His father asked, effectively derailing his train of thought. He was watching him from the door frame leading to the kitchen. "You alright kiddo? How was school?" Danny nodded with a smile.

_Terrible. _"Yeah, it was okay." He quickly changed subjects, knowing that his father wouldn't take notice. "Hey, I don't know about you, but I'm starving."

His father lit up like lights on Christmas day. "How 'bout some fudge!"

Danny laughed, walking with him into the kitchen.

* * *

"See? All you have to do is plug these numbers into your equation and solve for x."

"No, I don't Jazz. I'm dumb, remember?" Danny grumbled to his sister. They sat with their legs crossed on Jazz's bed in her room. Papers were scattered around and they shared a math textbook between them.

Jazz sighed and argued, "You're not dumb, Danny. You just haven't had the time to work on your academics."

"Well, a superhero never takes breaks," he replied, a grin taking root on his face.

She smiled back and ruffled his raven hair affectionately. "But he does need his rest. We can finish this tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright." He yawned tiredly. Although he was lucky enough today that there weren't any ghost attacks, he still need to catch up on sleep from the past few days. Gathering his papers (but leaving the textbooks), he stood up and got ready to leave. Jazz got up to help him carry his make-up work to his room. Together, they silently walked to Danny's room. The papers were dropped off onto his desk.

"Night, Danny," Jazz said as she neared the door frame.

Flick. The lights turned off.

"HEY!"

Jazz hurriedly turned the lights back on, startled by his sudden outburst. There was a long, deafening silence between the siblings, almost louder than Danny's panicked yell. Both were equally surprised, neither of them really understanding what had happened.

"D-Danny...?" Jazz was almost afraid to speak and disrupt the quiet. Her little brother was white as a sheet, trembling slightly.

"Are you feeling okay?" She stepped closer to him, but he stopped her.

"I'm fine Jazz. You just... surprised me." His face was oddly blank as he spoke. "Besides... I-I need the lights on so I can get ready for bed."

"Danny please," she begged. He was shutting help out again. How could he act like everything was fine and his little freak out never happened? "I know you don't want to talk to me, but you've been acting so strange lately... and it's _scaring_ me."

"...You should go now."

She sighed in aggravation, knowing that once again he wasn't going to let her help. She didn't have the heart to push him... not yet. Without another word, she left him alone.

Danny slowly lowered himself on top of his bed, letting out his breath he had been holding. He sat there, his hands covering his face, panting like he had just ran a marathon. It was a long time before he recovered. He had no idea what possessed him to scream like that. He was just... caught off guard when she turned off the lights. _Yeah that's it..._ he agreed in his head, trying to put his anxiety at rest.

He kept his thoughts occupied by getting ready for bed, making sure to take his time. But he soon ran out of excuses to go back to bed. His fingers hovered over his light switch. He ran his other hand through his hair. Why was he so tense? There was nothing to be afraid of... _So why was everything screaming danger to him, _he asked himself mentally.

Something felt off. Like something was out of place. It was almost like his ghost sense. Was something here? He swallowed thickly as he raked the corners of his room with his eyes, but spotted nothing out of the ordinary. "Gee, Fenton, you're getting seriously paranoid," he muttered under his breath.

His fingers were still poised over the switch. He stared at them, willing them to move. They touched the switch, doing nothing for a few moments before he pulled them away in defeat. He just couldn't do it. He glanced back at his hands before realizing just how badly he was shaking. His eyes widened in surprise and upon closer inspection he saw them glisten with sweat. He sat down on the bed, clenching them into fists. Seriously! This. Was. Ridiculous. Did he really need to sleep with the lights on now? The last time he did that was way back when he was a little child! Why was he suddenly having such a hard time now?

It wasn't like he was like this last night. Well, actually, he did have Jazz with him last night... He shook his head. How was he going to 'fix' this? He could try leaving the lights on... _But it would be noticeable from outside. I don't need Mom or Dad asking me why I needed to sleep with the lights on... _He groaned internally. It was his only option for now. He just hoped no one would ask him why he left it on. _I guess I could just say that I accidentally forgot it was on..._

He got into bed, pulling the sheets over his still slightly trembling body. His eyes darted wildly around the room.

The shadows in the room seemed to grow.

It felt like something was watching him through the darkness outside.

Did he see something move, or was that just his imagination?

Pulling his legs to his chest, he gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes close. He couldn't believe this. _How could it be,_ he thought incredulously.

_That Danny Phantom, the great protector of Amity Park... _

_Was afraid of the dark?_

* * *

**Hey. Don't deny it. You were scared once upon a time, too. xD**

**Soo, next chapter, oh man. I'm pretty excited. Some real action, finally! Not gonna say much, but, uh... it **_**might **_**get a **_**tiny bit**_ **violent... ;)**

**Anyways, keep on reviewing, favoriting, and following!**

**See ya soon~**


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